Shahi Bridge, Jaunpur
Encyclopedia
Shahi Bridge or Munim Khan's Bridge or Akbari Bridge or Mughal
Bridge or Jaunpur Bridge is a 16th century bridge over river Gomti in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh
, India
.
, 16.2 kilometres (10.1 mi) north-northeast
of Mariāhū
and 26.6 kilometres (16.5 mi) west-northwest of the town of Kirākat
.
. It took four years to complete the bridge. It was designed by Afghan
architect
Afzal Ali.
Munim Khan was appointed the Governor of Jaunpur
in 1567 by Mughal Emperor Akbar. Munim Khan aimed at restoring and reconstructing a great number of buildings that were destroyed by the Lodis. He set a personal example by commissioning a number of civic structures around the city so as to encourage the building of civic amenities by his nobles. One such example was the Shahi Bridge in Jaunpur in India and it was one of the most significant, noteworthy and picturesque Mughal structures
in the city.
(public bath house) at the northern end, but it is no longer used and is permanently closed. For providing points on the bridge so that people can stop and gaze at the flowing river below, Chhatris (small pavilions) were built which lined on both the sides of the bridge. In the year 1847 the Collector of Jaunpur added these to the bridge. Each and every Chhatri lines up with a pylon below. These chhatris project beyond the bridge and are given support below by brackets that transfer the weight to the pylons. The pylons are elongated and extended hexagons in plan with the longer sides supporting the bridge and then there are the skewed sides that support the chhatris above. For preventing the pylons from appearing like some solid mass that has risen up from the river, there were recessed and adjourned rectangular niches with blind arches built on the skewed sides of the pylons.
in the year 1934, when seven of its fifteen arches were badly damaged. These have been rebuilt and the whole bridge has been effectively conserved. Although a public road runs over it, it is maintained as an ancient monument.
The Bridge is on the Protection & Conservation list of Directorate of Archaeology, (U.P.) since 1978.
The bridge is still used in contemporary times and is generally recognised as Jaunpur's most significant Mughal structure.
A new bridge parallel to old(shahi) bridge was opened on 28 November by the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav
.
"The inundations have been frequently known to rise even over the bridge in somuch that in the year 1774 a whole brigade of the British forces was passed over it in boats."
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Bridge or Jaunpur Bridge is a 16th century bridge over river Gomti in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh
Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh
Jaunpur is a city and a municipal board in Jaunpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Jaunpur district is located to the northwest of the district of Varanasi in the eastern part of the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. According to the 2001 census, Jaunpur district had a population...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Location
The Shahi Bridge is located 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) north of Jaunpur, 7.3 kilometres (4.5 mi) northwest of ZafarābādZafarabad
Zafarabad is a place in Jaunpur district of Varanasi Division of Uttar Pradesh.Zafarabad is an important railway junction station under Allahabad division of Northern Railway zone of Indian Railways....
, 16.2 kilometres (10.1 mi) north-northeast
Boxing the compass
Boxing the compass is the action of naming all thirty-two points of the compass in clockwise order. Such names are formed by the initials of the cardinal directions and their intermediate ordinal directions, and are very handy to refer to a heading in a general or colloquial fashion, without...
of Mariāhū
Mariahu
Mariahu is a town and a nagar panchayat in Jaunpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Geography:Mariahu is located at . It has an average elevation of 87 metres .-Demographics:...
and 26.6 kilometres (16.5 mi) west-northwest of the town of Kirākat
Kerakat
Paruganj is a town and a nagar panchayat in Jaunpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.T'-Demographics: India census, SADAB KHAN is the king of kerakat.Kerakat had a population of 12,472. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%...
.
Transport links
- Located 3 kilometers away from the Railway Junction at BhandariBhandariFor other uses, see Bhandari .Bhandari caste is among the sea-faring warrior castes of ancient and medieval India. They migrated southward from Rajputana in early 1100 and subsequently spread over different parts of India...
, - by availing the bus or train services from VaranasiVaranasi-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
(Benaras), which is separated from Jaunpur by a distance of 56 kilometers. - LucknowLucknowLucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
and MirzapurMirzapurMirzapur is a city in the heart of North India, nearly 650 km between Delhi and Kolkata and also equidistant from Allahabad and Varanasi. Located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Mirzapur has a population of a little over 205,264 and is renowned for its famous carpet and brassware industry...
are the other two cities located at a distance of 214 kilometers and 69 kilometers respectively.
Construction
Mughal Emperor Akbar ordered the construction of the Shahi Bridge, which was completed in the year 1568–69 by Munim KhanMunim Khan
Munim Khan Khan-i-Khanan was a Mughal general under both emperors Humayun and Akbar. He was titled Khan-i-Khanan when Akbar appointed him as Vakil . Then in 1564 he became the Subahdar of Jaunpur. He also served as the governor of Bengal and Bihar during 1574–1575.-Origin:His ancestors were from...
. It took four years to complete the bridge. It was designed by Afghan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Afzal Ali.
Munim Khan was appointed the Governor of Jaunpur
Jaunpur Sultanate
The Jaunpur sultanate was an independent kingdom of northern India between 1394 to 1479, whose rulers ruled from Jaunpur in the present day state of Uttar Pradesh. The Jaunpur sultanate was ruled by the Sharqi dynasty. The Khwajah-i-Jahan Malik Sarwar, the first ruler of the dynasty was a wazir ...
in 1567 by Mughal Emperor Akbar. Munim Khan aimed at restoring and reconstructing a great number of buildings that were destroyed by the Lodis. He set a personal example by commissioning a number of civic structures around the city so as to encourage the building of civic amenities by his nobles. One such example was the Shahi Bridge in Jaunpur in India and it was one of the most significant, noteworthy and picturesque Mughal structures
Mughal architecture
Mughal architecture, an amalgam of Islamic, Persian, Turkish and Indian architecture, is the distinctive style developed by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries in what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. It is symmetrical and decorative in style.The Mughal dynasty was...
in the city.
Architecture
The Bridge is built across the Gomati river. The Bridge comprises ten arched openings that are supported on huge and massive pylons. There is an additional extension of five arches that were built so as to cover the diverted channel. The bridge initially possessed a hammamHammam
A Turkish bath is the Turkish variant of a steam bath, sauna or Russian Bath, distinguished by a focus on water, as distinct from ambient steam....
(public bath house) at the northern end, but it is no longer used and is permanently closed. For providing points on the bridge so that people can stop and gaze at the flowing river below, Chhatris (small pavilions) were built which lined on both the sides of the bridge. In the year 1847 the Collector of Jaunpur added these to the bridge. Each and every Chhatri lines up with a pylon below. These chhatris project beyond the bridge and are given support below by brackets that transfer the weight to the pylons. The pylons are elongated and extended hexagons in plan with the longer sides supporting the bridge and then there are the skewed sides that support the chhatris above. For preventing the pylons from appearing like some solid mass that has risen up from the river, there were recessed and adjourned rectangular niches with blind arches built on the skewed sides of the pylons.
Current use
The bridge was badly damaged by earthquake1934 Bihar earthquake
The 1934 Bihar earthquake was one of the worst earthquakes in India's history. Some 30,000 people were said to have died. Munger and Muzaffarpur were completely destroyed. This 8.4 magnitude earthquake occurred on January 15, 1934 at around 2:13 PM and caused widespread damage in the northern...
in the year 1934, when seven of its fifteen arches were badly damaged. These have been rebuilt and the whole bridge has been effectively conserved. Although a public road runs over it, it is maintained as an ancient monument.
The Bridge is on the Protection & Conservation list of Directorate of Archaeology, (U.P.) since 1978.
The bridge is still used in contemporary times and is generally recognised as Jaunpur's most significant Mughal structure.
A new bridge parallel to old(shahi) bridge was opened on 28 November by the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav
Mulayam Singh Yadav
Mulayam Singh Yadav in Hindi मुलायम सिंह यादव is an Indian politician and has influence mainly in Uttar Pradesh state of India...
.
In literature
William Hodges in his book 'Select Views in India' mentions about bridge:"The inundations have been frequently known to rise even over the bridge in somuch that in the year 1774 a whole brigade of the British forces was passed over it in boats."
External links
- bridge across the Gomati River :: Jaunpur (India) -- Britannica
- Students' Britannica India By Dale Hoiberg, Indu Ramchandani
- India Perspectives: JAUNPUR: SHIRAZ OF INDIA
- Islamic studies in India By Mohamed Taher
- PROGRESS IN NANOTECHNOLOGY By Govind Prasad, Shardendu Kislaya
- Northeast India By Vanessa Betts, David Stott